Post Description

Painting the Shadows is a fascinating exploration of the creative process and follows one of Australia's leading contemporary artists Ben Quilty, as he completes one of his most challenging art works - a painting about the Myall massacre of 1838 where 12 stockmen brutally slaughtered 28 Aboriginal people who were camped peacefully at Myall Creek station in northern NSW.

The massacre had special significance as it marked the only time in the colonial period that white men were arrested, charged and ultimately hung for the massacre. The film follows Quilty's exploration of the subject over many months.

Using the Art Gallery of South Australia's 2019 survey exhibition of Quilty's work as a framework for her film, Catherine Hunter explores the journey of the artist from that of a young man obsessed with Toranas to the one who brought, through his art, the full spectrum of the Afghanistan tragedy to public consciousness.